Germans Abstain from Beer! A Shocking Revelation from the New York TImes

More than two weeks have flown by since my last post. I promised to tell more of how German soldiers were portrayed in Civil War era media (was that word even used then?). In this short post, I will deliver … Continue reading →

“A memorable season of extraordinary rains”

Browsing and searching through the New York Times online archives is an interesting endeavor. In earlier posts, I recounted a frankly depressing story of the last days of a Civil War veteran in New York City and a reporter’s visit … Continue reading →

Flank Attack Land Saved

Greetings, dear reader. It has been a few weeks since my last post, thanks to a bout with bronchitis and then a brief but violent encounter with what likely was the stomach flu. My next post will continue the focus … Continue reading →

“Seldom is a wheat field as terribly sown.”

In an earlier post I briefly pondered the question of whether Cross Keys should be labeled an engagement, a battle or some other designation.  In today’s post I ask whether Cross Keys was a victory, and if so, for whom?  This … Continue reading →

Stafford Winter Camp

My intentions for this post were to dig further into the battle of Cross Keys with some reporting from the New York Times, but the Times somewhat politely put a pop-up ad on my computer screen informing me that I … Continue reading →

A Veteran’s Last Days

Asthma and rheumatism had wrecked the health of August “Pop” Schliermacher, age 72, so much that he realized the diseases were going to kill him. Things had gotten so bad for him that he could not always make it out … Continue reading →

Cross Keys, Part I

The battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862. Today’s post will be a combination of fact and interpretation. I think Cross Keys is a good topic to look at in both ways. After all, even the National … Continue reading →